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Although she will miss out on the abundance of antibodies and protein in your colostrum and breast milk, if you’ve opted to bottle feed your newborn from the very start, all baby formula has been manufactured to suit an infant’s needs. The milk used will have been highly processed in order to become more readily digestible by your infant, as well as fortified with the necessary vitamins and minerals.
Whether it be for medical reasons or financial reasons, some women cannot breastfeed their infant, and many feel guilty about missing out on the closeness involved in the practice. Thankfully, there are plenty of other ways to establish and nurture this close bond, even with bottle feeding.
Aside from medical and financial fears, there are some other view points to be had by pro-bottle mothers. Some of these, including possible solutions, are:
- The mother does not want to be bound by her child’s feeding schedule. They also fear that they will be unable to receive any sort of help with the feeding, or that the baby will refuse to be fed by another loved one, such as the father.
- New parents may like the reassurance of bottle feeding because they can gauge how much their infant is eating.
- For many working mother’s, they feel breast feeding their baby will create a painful attachment on both sides and make the parting time (of work) a lot harder to bear. They also fear the baby might become too dependent and extremely fussy and unhappy in the absence of the mother.
- Working mothers also tend to opt for bottle feeding their baby because they are concerned about the breast pumping procedure at work; the fact that they need to pump every 3 hours or so, save the milk and remember to bring it home and also leaving their child with enough milk supply to last throughout the day. Never mind the possibility and embarrassment of leaking milk in the middle of a work day.
- There are some mothers who simply are not comfortable with the thought of breastfeeding. Some may have been bottle-fed as infants or are not comfortable with the idea of having to breastfeed in public. For others, breastfeeding may not mesh with the way they think about their physical bodies.
Experts say that if you introduce the bottle to a baby before 3 weeks of life (but only after the mother’s breast milk has come in well), it is very likely that it will accept both. You can have a loved one offer the infant a baby bottle once a day, perhaps even at a tough and tiring time such as the wee hours of the morning! Keep in mind that offering too much baby formula may result in a decrease of production in breast milk (because the mother’s body produces the milk depending on the baby’s needs), and yet waiting too long to offer the bottle may leave you with a “breast-only” baby.
There are ways to determine whether or not your baby is getting enough nourishment from breast milk. One of these would be whether or not your infant is urinating every four hours or so. You can also depend on your doctors measurements of your baby’s weight and growth. If everything is normal, you can rest assured that your child is getting enough milk.
Although the separation may be a little harder for some women, the closeness associated with breast feeding your baby will give you both a wonderful start. Coming home to breastfeed your child can be looked upon as a special time in the day and a jump-start to the closeness you both yearn, especially after an entire day away from each other.
Fortunately there are more and more companies out there who are willing to offer new mother’s small, private areas to pump their breast milk. If this has not already been implemented at your work place, consider asking for one. As for leaking breasts, there are bras that are specifically designed to camouflage such leaks.
All of the above reasons and concerns deserve some respect, as they are real mental hurdles for each woman to overcome. Sometimes with some gentle words and a bit of support, many of these women may vary well reconsider their decision. But for some, there is no other option.
If breastfeeding is still not for you, talk to your pediatrician about selecting the best formula for bottle feeding your baby. Once you have made your decision, be sure to follow the directions on the box EXACTLY. Some mother’s believe that using less water will result in a stronger, better substance for their baby. This is not the case. An infant’s kidneys are not fully matured, and thus cannot bear the burden of too much salts and proteins. That being said, don’t use more water than instructed either. Doing so would cause your infant to fill up before getting the necessary amount of nutrients needed. Trust the experts and follow the instructions on the box.
If you’re concerned about what water to use, and you don’t trust your local water supply, you have two options.
- Buy sterilized water from your local market.
- Boil your tap water (as long as it contains no known contaminants) for about five minutes. Let it cool before mixing it with formula so as not to destory the nutrients found therein.
If you need to reheat your baby’s formula, put the bottle in a bowl of hot water or a pan of water and heat it on the stove. Don’t allow it to boil, and never use the microwave. Alternatively, you can make use of an electric baby bottle warmer. Just remember: Too much heat will destroy the important nutrients needed for your child’s proper growth and development. Test the temperature of the formula on the inside of your wrist before offering it to your baby. Make sure it is at a warm and comfortable temperature, and not at all hot.
